Russia rebuffs NATO over nuclear missile treaty

The Russian Foreign Ministry has sharply criticized NATO’s Secretary General for intervening in the row over the INF nuclear missile treaty, pointing out that NATO was not a signatory, but that the alliance’s member states could always join.

Moscow’s rebuff came after a statement on Wednesday by NATO Secretary General
perplexed Russian diplomats.

“The United States has briefed the North Atlantic Council on
its determination that the Russian Federation is in violation of
its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF)
Treaty,” Rasmussen’s statement said.

Rasmussen stressed that the treaty “has a special place in
history” and that Russia “should work constructively to
resolve this critical treaty issue” and preserve its
viability “by returning to full compliance in a verifiable
manner.”

“Continuing to uphold the treaty strengthens the security of
all, including Russia,” Rasmussen said.

In reply, Russia’s Foreign Ministry “not without a bit of
surprise” questioned why Rasmussen was commenting on a
treaty NATO was not a party to.

"We hope that Secretary-General is not going to dispute the
fact that this Treaty was signed in December 1987 between the
USSR and the US, not between the USSR and NATO or Russia and
NATO,” the ministry said in a statement.

If NATO’s chief is truly concerned with meeting the obligations
this treaty imply, he should better “address a NATO member
state that signed this treaty,” the ministry said, referring
to the US.

Diplomats in Moscow pointed out that all major problems with
implementation of the INF Treaty are primarily caused by the US,
such as the launches of target missiles, development of armed
UAVs, and deployment of Naval Mk-41 platforms capable of
launching medium-range cruise missiles.

“We will pursue further elimination of the aforementioned
concerns,” Russian diplomats said, calling on Rasmussen to
help to make other NATO member states join the treaty to give it
a truly multilateral status.

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed by US
President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in
1987 obliged the two sides “not to possess, produce, or
flight-test a ground-launched cruise missile with a range
capability of 500 to 5,500 kilometers, or to possess or produce
launchers of such missiles,” Rasmussen said in his
statement.

Russia’s General Staff chief, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, said
Thursday that Moscow is strictly implementing the INF treaty with
the US. He discussed the situation around the agreement during a
phone conversation with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
Gen. Martin Dempsey.

“Gerasimov reaffirmed Russia’s adherence to strict
implementation of the INF treaty,” the Russian Defense
Ministry said in a statement.

On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama accused Russia of violating the nuclear
weapons reduction treaty.

The exchange of accusations between Moscow and Washington is
taking place against the background of worsening bilateral
relations, primarily over Ukraine.

The US and EU have introduced several stages of economic
sanctions against Moscow, including those against whole sectors of the
Russian economy.

Moscow have promised that the US will feel “tangible
losses” from what it called “destructive, myopic”
sanctions and expressed its disappointment with the EU’s inability
to act independently from Washington in the international arena.